Rhode Island Correctional Officer Ron LoBianco, a lifelong Coventry, RI, resident, recently placed 1st in his division (light weight - and between 146 and 155 pounds) in the Body Language Natural Professional Association’s (BLNPA) annual competition. He placed 4th out of 20 in the middleweight division in the same competition in 2006 and 3rd in his division at the NPC’s Jay Cutler Classic at the John Hancock Center in Boston. Next year he plans to compete in the Cape Cod Classic.
Ron’s passion for body building began at around age 14 and was inspired by his father, Robert, married to his mom, Arlene, for 40 years. While he spends his days off training at Gold’s Gym in East Greenwich, most of his training is done during his breaks at the Maximum Security CO gym, adjacent to the Maximum Security Facility where LoBianco has worked since 2001. “My fellow officers really help me out and are always there for me, pushing for me,” he notes.
At 5 feet 4 inches, LoBianco is not a big man, but he is a strong and toned one. He lives in Coventry, two streets from the house where he grew up, and holds an Associates in General Studies from the Community College of Rhode Island. His girlfriend, Carly, and his brother, Robert Jr., and sister-in-law, Lisa, have also been central to his success in his off-duty passion.
“I feel it’s a stress reliever and good for CO’s,” Ron says of body building. He has a “clean diet” and eats healthy whether he’s in training or not, but when in training, he has to weigh everything he eats. Body building is not an expensive sport to get into – the belt and weights are the only equipment needed. A few of his fellow CO’s are also involved at the competitive level.
Ron’s off-season weight is 180, but he has gotten down to as low as 3% body weight after training for a show, which is about the lowest one can go without being at a dangerous level. While he has never had a serious altercation with an inmate, Ron notes that being physically fit is helpful at his place of employment. His photos can be seen on the RX Muscle website.